The knee joint is frequently the object of injury and is often repaired using arthroscopic surgical procedures. An example of such arthroscopic surgery is the replacement of anterior cruciate ligaments of the knee. The tearing of these ligaments is common in sports activities such as football or skiing.
In some prior art procedures, it has been difficult to insert and fasten a soft tissue replacement in a blind bore or tunnel. Attempts have been made to thread the soft tissue replacement through the tunnel and over an anchor, but with some difficulty. Thus far, there is need for improvement in the prior art to develop a quick and efficient method to implant a soft tissue replacement over an implanted anchoring system.
Other techniques attempt to use biological fixation to augment or replace mechanical fixation. While increasing fixation strength, these techniques require time to fully realize their fixation potential. Additionally, the techniques may take additional surgical time and resources that a purely mechanical fixation technique may not require.